In Genesis, what material is Noah’s Ark said to be made from?

Genesis says Noah’s Ark was made from gopher wood. The instruction appears in Genesis 6:14, where Noah is told to build the ark from this named material and cover it with pitch inside and out.

The Hebrew phrase is unique in the Bible, so the exact identity of gopher wood is uncertain. Some translations preserve the phrase as “gopher wood,” while others have proposed a type of cypress or another durable timber. No identification has become universally accepted.

The word should not be confused with the modern animal called a gopher. The passage gives construction instructions, not a surviving species name or archaeological identification. The ark is also described as having compartments, three decks, and a covering or opening near the top.